Israeli Parliament Votes for Making Apartheid Official. Fetterman: “I Haven’t Been Following It.”

When Israel s parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of dropping any pretense that it wasn t an apartheid state selected of the Jewish state s largest part ardent American defenders couldn t even be bothered to pay attention I haven t been following it closely reported Sen John Fetterman D-Pa who s made defending Israel a key part of his political career The response was one of a mixed bag among both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill interviewed by The Intercept but Fetterman s tone was the largest part strident in its lack of regard Related Israel s West Bank Attacks Fuel Its Annexation Plans Despite its greater part powerful ally and arms dealer s stated preference for a two-state cure Israel s Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a symbolic measure to annex the occupied West Bank on Wednesday The nonbinding resolution which was advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s coalition and passed - in the Knesset won t legally change the reality in the West Bank but it marks an escalation in the Israeli administration s efforts to annex the territory Four Democrats in the Senate and House who spoke to The Intercept condemned the Israeli authorities s vote Others reported they hadn t been following the issue Fetterman was one of three senators who notified The Intercept on Thursday they were unaware of the Knesset vote Sen Ted Cruz R-Texas declined to comment Related The Companies Making It Easy to Buy in a West Bank Settlement The resolution in the Knesset or Parliament called to apply Israeli sovereignty law judgment and administration to all the areas of Jewish settlement of all kinds in Judea Samaria and the Jordan Valley which is how largest part Israelis refer to the West Bank In the present million Palestinians reside in the West Bank alongside over Israeli settlers who ve established settlements in the occupied territory in violation of international law No Denying Apartheid Annexation of the West Bank would be at odds with the U S official framework goal for two states one for Palestinians in the West Bank East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip and one state for Israel comprising its pre- borders Related The ICJ Ruling Confirms What Palestinians Have Been Saying for Years The two-state remedy has won official backing from successive presidents dating back to the late s except for Donald Trump to assuage concerns over Israel having permanent control over millions of Palestinians without full civil rights Though the conditions already exist there is a growing consensus that Israel in an apartheid state making this control officially permanent would make apartheid indisputable Both Democratic and Republican administrations have repeatedly undermined the possibility of a two-state explanation by arming Israel as it continues to attack Palestinian people and seize their territory which lawmakers in Congress have made excuses for As general sentiment turns against Israel however with voters increasingly opposing the Netanyahu cabinet s genocide in Gaza a few members of Congress have been more willing to criticize the Israeli regime Read our complete coverage Israel s War on Gaza Specific Condemnations Though President Joe Biden claimed to be interested in a two-state answer his administration continued policies such as keeping the U S Embassy in occupied Jerusalem which experts view as undermining the possibility of an independent Palestinian state that includes the West Bank In his second term Trump escalated his efforts to thwart the possibility of a sovereign Palestinian state On Thursday State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott advised reporters during a press briefing that the U S would not be attending a United Nations conference on a two-state cure for Israel and Palestine And Trump has repeatedly called for Palestinians in Gaza to be relocated and for the region to be turned into a luxury resort Fetterman s response to the vote stood in stark contrast to the four other Democratic members of Congress The Knesset s vote to symbolically annex the West Bank is not just reckless it s a betrayal of the values that have long underpinned America s assistance for Israel I ve visited the West Bank I ve spoken with people whose lives are shaped by fear and violence wrote Rep Mark Takano D-Calif in a report A negotiated two state approach is the only path to lasting peace and true safety for both Israelis and Palestinians This vote rejects that path Sen Bernie Sanders I-Vt on the other hand communicated The Intercept that now is the time for the U S to push back on Netanyahu s administration s racist reactionary policies Israel is now run by right-wing extremists who are in Gaza starving children and shooting people lining up for food and now in the West Bank we ve seen vigilantism announced Sanders I think the time is now for the United States administration to make clear that we are not going to continue to encouragement these racist reactionary policies of the Netanyahu establishment Sen Tim Kaine D-Va argued that this would harm peace talks and threaten long-term regional stability It s going to hurt Israel in the long run stated Kaine You got a peace discussion that s going on right now where Arab nations are saying we want to be peaceful partners with our neighbor Israel But this also means that we need to have a future for Palestine as was promised to Palestinians in the U N resolution in and we re not willing to find this regional peace unless you agree to do that Kaine argued that the Knesset vote further isolates Israel in the region It looks like the Knesset is just shutting the door in the face of Arab partners who want to try to work together to promote regional stability he announced There is a credible opportunity for Israel to be less isolated in the neighborhood but a vote like this makes it harder not easier Rep Delia Ramirez D-Ill narrated The Intercept that the vote speaks to the broader endgame for the Netanyahu administration For Netanyahu and his administration annexation and control have consistently been the endgame mentioned Ramirez in a declaration We must end the U S s complicity in the Netanyahu Administration s regime of terror Congress must do its oversight job demand an end to the blockade and pass Block the Bombs The post Israeli Parliament Votes for Making Apartheid Official Fetterman I Haven t Been Following It appeared first on The Intercept